Manufacture of wire cables



June 2, 1931. G, ZAPF 1,808,444:

MANUFACTURE OF WIRE CABLES Filed Dec. 8. 1927 Patented June 2, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEOBG ZAPF, OF COLOGNE, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO FELTEN & GUILLEAUME CARLS- WEItK AGTIEN-GESELLSUHAFT, OI! .KOLN-MULHEIM, GERMANY MANUFACTURE OF WIRE GABLES Application filed December 8, 1927, Seriatllo.v

It has already been pro osed in the manufacture of wire cables rom round wires, to shape the separate wires beforehand, by means of special devices, into helical lines,

withouttwisting them about their axis, in

order that the cables shall not have a tendency to twist and shall not be under stress. This method fails, however, when wires of non-circular section are to be laidyas in such a case, for giving the wires their correct position in the cable, it is necessary to twist each wire once about its axis over a length corresponding to the length of lay.

- The present. invention relates-to a methodof and a machine for the manufacture of wire cables, which are free froma tendency to-twist and are not under stress, with one or more laid layers of wires of non-circular section. The new method consists in this,

9 that the. wires of non-circular section are drawn immediately in front of the laying point throu h devices in which they are given both t e bend and the twist they require in the finished cable. r,

The new method and the machine for carrying it into effect are shown in the accompanying. drawing, which represents a side elevation of the laying machine, but in which only two of the bobbins in the bobbin frame are shown. The bobbin frame a.within which the bobbins b and 0 are mounted is rotatedby' means of the toothed wheel d about its shaft e. It is supported on the rollersf, g and k which are mountedv on either side. The shafts of the bobbins b and c are journalled in the bobbin frame in such a manner that they take part in the motion of the bobbin frame. The wires of non-circularosection i and 70 coming from the bobbins b and a are around the core m which is fed through the hollow shaft of the machine. 'The new ar-' rangeinent consists, in the example shown,

in this, that along the paths followed by the wires two pairs of section rollersn, 0 .and p, g are provided for each wire, through which the wires 21 and k ass in such a manner that along'the portion of the path lying between the two airs of rollers they are twisted once about t eir own axis. This laid at the point 1 238,690, and in Germany December 13, 1926.

is effected by giving the ends of the wires, when preparing the machine, after they have been passed through the pair of rollers n and p but before they are introduced between the pairs of rollers o and g, a single turn about their axes. Thus, when the machine is running, the wires, along the stretches n, 0 and 12, have the necessa turn imparted to them for their correct posltion in the cable. This turning of the wires is accompanied by a transition into the helical form, which is so great that, in cables having a long lay, the preliminary form given to the wires alon the stretch lying between the pairs of rol ers, corresponds to.

the shape of the helical line in the cable. In the case of cables having a short length of lay the bend in the helical line may increased by the wires 2', k bein guided over additional rollers 7- and s, whic are laterally displaced to' the lines connecting the lines of contact between the rollers 1, 0 and the rollers p, g. Preferably the machine will,-

be so arranged that both the distance of the pairs of rollers 11, 0 or p, belongin to onewire and the lateral displacement o the v rollers r and s with respect to the connectinglines between the rollers wand 0 and the rollers 17 and 2 can be adjusted to suit the circumstances. In order that each roller 0 pair shall be adjustable along the wire, the holders t, u, v and t, u, v are movably attached by means of set screws :1: onto the connecting rods w which have an inclination corresponding to'the connecting lines n, 0 and p, 9'. On the holders t,- u, t', uf, the rollers pairs n, 0, p, g, respectively, are movablyattached by means of set-screws y, whilst the central rollers r and s are similarly attached, in a movable manner, to the holders (0 and v, respectively .The new method may be employed both in the case of cables consisting entirely of wires of non-circular section and in the'caseof thosecables 1n WlllCh such wires, shaped in the manner descrr ed, areto be laid over round wires. In the drawings, the dotted lines indicate the adjustable positions of the rollers The method is, also not limited to the manufacture of supporting cables, but can be employed with the same advantages for instance in the manufacture of hollow electric conductors or cable armourings consisting of wires of non-circular section. The cables made by the new method havethis advantage, that they are almost entirely free from a tendency to twist and are practically not under stress and that the wires of noncircular section permanently retain their correct position. This results in the cables having a very high tensile strength and great durability.

What I claim is:

1. A laying machine for the manufacture of wire cables from wires .of non-circular section comprising in combination a rotatable bobbin frame, a plurality of bobbins journalled therein, means for guiding the wires from said bobbins to the laying point comprising two pairs of rollers mounted in the bobbin frame so as to lie along the path of each wire coming from a bobbin and to revolve with said frame for twistin the wires about their axes, means on said rame interposed between the bobbins and the laying point for bending the wires, and means for adjusting the said pairs of rollers with respect to one another, as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A. laying machine for the manufacture of wire cables from wires of non-circular section comprising in 'combination a rotatable bobbin frame, a plurality of bobbins journalled therein, means for guiding the wires from said bobbins to the laying point comprising two pairs of rollers mounted in the bobbin frame so as to lie along the path of each wire coming from a bobbin and to 4 revolve with saidframe for twisting the wires about their axes, a roller interposed between each two pairs of rollers mounted on the bobbin frame laterally of the line connecting the two pairs of rollers so as to be I out of alignment with thesame for-bending the wires, and means for adjusting the said pairs of rollers with respect to one another, as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have slgned my 0 name to this specification.

GEORG ZAPF. 

